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Search Results for: dancers

Isaac and Esteban Hernández, two brothers making history

How they got their start in the world of the arts

There have been many artists of Latin origin who have become known in much of the world thanks to their talent and dedication to what they do. A perfect example of this are the Mexican siblings Isaac and Esteban Hernandez, who have given much to talk about in major media outlets both in Spanish and English.

Isaac and Esteban Hernández in an event together
Isaac and Esteban Hernández in an event together

These boys, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, are two of 11 siblings in a very large family. They are children of two dancers and one of them is Héctor Hernández, who taught the youths to dance from an early age thanks to the wide experience he gained in this profession. Isaac and Esteban have commented in some interviews that their father built a barre and both used thin pieces of wood as a ballet floor, which they used to practice their moves.

In addition to that, they were home-schooled by their mother, Laura, which helped a lot to train them in dance and allow them to devote more time to these activities.

These brothers think that they have managed to change their lives in a relatively short time thanks to the effort and dedication to dance, a discipline that they love so much. However, they knew that the path might not be as easy as they would like it to be.

When questioned about machismo and the feedback they might get on being men who dance ballet, they said that their father has prepared them very well for that moment. When they asked him to teach them to dance, he warned them that it would not be easy for them to start a real career in this discipline, but they did not care and moved on.

Isaac and Esteban during an interview
Isaac and Esteban during an interview

Service to the Latino community

After achieving this level of fame, they have set out to help new generations of dancers in any way possible so that they can get ahead in the world of the arts, specifically in dancing. In the past, it was very difficult to bring dance schools and talent auditions to many Latin American countries, which has made it difficult for young people interested in learning all these disciplines to have access to the necessary training to succeed. However, established artists such as Isaac and Esteban have played a very important role in the turning of things.

In the specific case of Mexico, it has been possible many children throughout the country to have access to the opportunities they need to climb positions in the world of entertainment, as even as it was with these professional dancers.

While it is true that dancing on the most important stages of the world and being judges in competitions fill their souls and makes them feel very lucky, the use of all their potential to change the lives of so many people in their Latino community excites them in an indescribable way and makes them understand the great social responsibility they have.

Roselyn Sanchez, Isaac Hernández and Paulina Rubio in the competition ''Mira Quien Baila''
Roselyn Sanchez, Isaac Hernández and Paulina Rubio in the competition ”Mira Quien Baila”

Presence in the media

Given that Latino Heritage Month had just been held, many digital media outlets took advantage of the brothers’ popularity to make reports on their great work and all they have achieved in such a short time. There are many online newspapers or websites that have highlighted the talent of the Hernandezes and all the achievements obtained through the effort and hard work put forth by both of them.

In one of those many reports, it is highlighted that Esteban is considered as one of the most influential Mexicans and has become one of the main dancers of SF Ballet. For his part, Isaac has received a Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts from the President of Mexico at the time, Enrique Peña Nieto, is also part of the SF Ballet as a main dancer and is one of the judges in the dancing competition ”Mira Quien Baila”. 

Both Isaac and Esteban are clear proof that dreams come true and everything can be achieved with effort and dedication no matter where we came from.

Read also: A new salsa talent with Latin parents and born in Boston

Shoemaker and shoe designer Carlo Farroni

We talked with shoemaker and shoe designer Carlo Farroni

In entertainment, singers, musicians and dancers are always the ones who show their faces to the audience, so they usually take the credit that comes from the final result, but there are many other professionals who also do their part so that a stage performance can be carried out, but unfortunately they do not get the recognition they deserve from the mass media.

Carlo Farroni checking his materials for shoes
Carlo Farroni checking his materials for shoes

Some of those professionals are shoemakers and shoe modelists, who offer absolute comfort and elegance to artists during their shows, especially when it comes to dancers. Today, we are going to bring the story of Mr. Carlos Farroni, who kindly agreed to talk to us and told us how he began in this interesting and important occupation.

How did you start your career as a shoemaker and shoe designer? (título 3)

Carlos Farroni tells us that he started his apprenticeship at the age of 20, namely more than four decades ago. All this training took place at the shoemaking institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Farroni’s native country, but it was not the only place responsible for teaching this man everything he knows today. He also combined his studies with certain tasks in an artisan footwear workshop, something that would be a great support to the knowledge gained within the field of formal education.

Dancing shoes for women made by Carlo Farroni
Dancing shoes for women made by Carlo Farroni

A few years later, he enbarked on a trip to Italy, where he worked in various areas of the creation of shoes, such as design and subsequent manufacturing, which was also extremely important for the Argentinean to continue learning how to navigate the world that has made him so well known.

Asked why he dedicates himself to the creation of special shoes to dance, he replied that he was carrying out exclusive footwear for theatre plays for many years, during this time his work started to become known in many parts of the world. After the quality of his products made news in many countries, many dancers started contacting Farroni to design exclusive shoes for them. It can be said that this is how he started the famous brand we know today.

More dancing shoes for women made by Carlo Farroni
More dancing shoes for women made by Carlo Farroni

How is your working methodology? (título3)

Regarding the production process, Mr. Farroni has revealed to us that everything is hand-made, which means that the tailoring, design, choice of materials, cutting, sewing, assembly and finished are handmade. In the same way, he ensures that the materials used for his products (most of the shoes are made of leather) are of excellent quality both in tanning and in thickness. This whole process is what makes the shoes look so professional and, at the same time, so comfortable and light as to allow the wearer to move freely.

It is also important to underline that the shoes handmade by Mr. Farroni’s brand can be used to dance every kind of musical genre without an problem. Obviously, tango dancers are the ones who most often seek out and promote these products, but there is no limit with regard to this detail. Anyone who wants the greatest elegance, sophistication and comfort at the moment of dance anything can contact Carlo Farroni, who will be happy to assist them and offer them the best of his work.

Dancing shoes for men made by Carlo Farroni
Dancing shoes for men made by Carlo Farroni

Read also: Omar Ledezma Jr talks about his experience at the Tempo Latino Festival

Yolanda Moreno “the People’s Dancer”

Venezuela has been a Caribbean and South American country that has always shown artistic tendencies among its inhabitants. Dance is no exception here, and one of the great representatives of typical Venezuelan dance is Sixta Yolanda Moreno de Rodríguez, better known as Yolanda Moreno the People’s Dancer” In this article we will talk more about her, keep reading.

The beginnings of Yolanda Moreno’s Career

This great Venezuelan dancer was born on August 6, 1936, in El Guarataro neighborhood of San Juan parish, in Caracas. Her parents named her Sixta Yolanda, a fact that few know unless her life is investigated, but she considered that Yolanda was easier to say and pronounce.

She grew up in a low-income family, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion for singing and dancing. At the age of 13, she joined as a chorister in the musical group “Retablo de Maravillas” created by the Ministry of Labor. In this group she demonstrated her talent for music and a wonderful voice, in addition to fulfilling a childhood dream: «As a child I wanted to be a flamenco singer, I listened to the «Gitana de Color». With this group she met her first mentor, the Austrian dancer Margarita Brenner.

During this stage Yolanda met the one who will be the love of her life, her husband Manuel Rodríguez Cárdenas. To whom she also thanks all the support he has given her throughout her career, to the point of assuring that she would not be the dancer and woman she is today without his total trust and company. Although their relationship was a surprise since the marriage took place when she was only 16 years old.

The foundation of “Danzas Venezuela”

Another of her great achievements with her husband Manuel, is the founding of the group “Danzas Venezuela” in 1962. With it Yolanda manages to modernize the dance and folklore of the country, by changing the image of the dancers with very wide skirts and hair collected, that way they look more refined; she also changed the footwear to give more force to the zapateado.

Although at first these changes were not well received, Moreno with her husband achieved public acceptance, and also captivated the international public. Among the places they managed to visit are: China, Japan, Korea, Hawaii, San Francisco, Washington, New York, Canada, the Soviet Union and Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. One of her special places was Puerto Rico, where she was given her nickname: “La Bailarina del Pueblo” (the People’s Dancer).

She also has great memories of China, especially when she was amazed by the respect for elders and the large number of artistic expressions that exist in this country. «Dance is a permanent job, very pleasant. I work until I am asleep. I got used to hard work, although it hurt, I danced» her words sum up her love for dance and art.

And Yolanda Moreno’s retirement came

Despite the fact that she will always be “The dancer of the Venezuelan people”, Yolanda has accepted that her days on stage are over, this of course does not mean that she won’t continue directing dancers and giving her advice with contributions in choreography. But Yolanda no longer actively follows her career, her big farewell was in 2008 with two performances at the Casa del Artista.

Of course, she has had special appearances like the one she presented in the posthumous tribute to Joaquín Riviera, which was part of the pre-opening of Miss Venezuela 2013. There have been other special events, but none as splendidly as the golden years of his career.

It is more than understandable that Moreno would withdraw from it, at 86 years old she is a woman who since she was a child has given everything to the art and folklore of her country. She also had to bravely face the farewell of her husband Manuel, which occurred in 1991 accompanied by her two sons Manuel Rodrigo and Fernán. It only remains to hope to be able to enjoy a few more years of her great ideas for the preservation, as well as modernization, of the typical dance of Venezuela.

International Salsa Magazine presents “El Cangri de la Salsa” Dj. Caramelo after triumphing in Lima Peru

On October 2, 1974, Jesús Rafael Torres Caldea, nicknamed “El Cangri de la Salsa” and also known as “El Caramelo de la Salsa”, was born in the populous parish of El Cementerio, son of Candelario Torres, the popular “Robinson” and Doña María de Jesús Caldea, In addition to his biological parents, life also gave him two foster parents who gave him all the love, affection and values, they were Emilio Torres, younger brother of the percussionist musician and Orchestra Director Lisandro Torres, and his wife Alicia Castillo.

Since his childhood he felt great interest in Salsa music and with the help of his childhood friend Oscar Madrid Colina “NENE” they began to buy his first vinyl records without realizing that from that moment on he would begin his career as a collector, musicalizer and producer of events, being today recognized as one of the best music lovers in Caracas and Venezuela.

Dj. Caramelo
Dj. Caramelo

Although he was raised in the parish of El Cementerio, part of his youth was spent in the Marín neighborhood of San Agustín in the home of the Pino and Palacios families, where he was influenced even more by this tasty musical genre.

He rubbed shoulders with other excellent musicians such as Augusto Felibertt, Alfredo Lozada from whom he learned many things and also with Ivan Piñero, Jonathan Castillo and Ivan Walcott among others.

He ventured as a producer of events with Alejandro Tovar and Betty Zapata, whom he baptized as “The True Lady of Salsa” nothing more and nothing less than with the presentation of Ray De La Paz at the Lido Center in Caracas.

Dj. Caramelo y Dj. Augusto
Dj. Caramelo y Dj. Augusto

Among the places where he had the opportunity to provide the best of the artillery of his musical collection for music lovers and dancers we can name the Gran Salón Cedro Líbano (La Mezquita), JABEGUERO, La Pachanga among others, reaching his musicality to events where prominent artists such as Herman Olivera, Tito Allen, BAILATINO have participated and also had the honor of being the official musicalizer in the debut of the great Venezuelan orchestra Rumberos del Callejón.

Caramelo was one of the founders of the Online Program via Facebook “Bloque de Salseros de la Mata” which is transmitted every Sunday by the hand of the Master of Masters Mr. Ali Delgado with Junior Villasmil and Alfredo Lozada.

“El Cangri de la Salsa“
“El Cangri de la Salsa“

Among his favorite artists and orchestras we can mention the Great Carlos “Cano” Estremera, the Bobby Valentin Orchestra, the Willie Rosario Orchestra and the Yambó Orchestra among others; He is currently living in Lima, Peru but has plans to return to Venezuela very soon, to return to the arena of musicalization and production of events again and already has an excellent proposal to participate as a musicalizer in an event where an international artist will participate later this year, from Salseros de la Mata we wish our pana Caramelo a happy birthday and the greatest of success and happy return to his homeland Venezuela.

You can read: The owner of the Soneo’s solo career Cano Estremera

Dj. Caramelo

Sweden Will Live November With Swing

3 events that will warm your days during winter

Going out on winter nights in Sweden (the fifth coldest country in Europe) can be a truly daunting task. Temperatures during the eleventh month of the year are around 5 °C during the day and 1 °C at night. Most people yearn for the scarce two hours of radiant sunshine a day, however, we bring you three Latin music events that accompany the beautiful northern lights that cover the sky during this date and that will make you vibrate and get warm during these days of lively freezing.

The Showtime with some of the best dancers in the world will start at 9 PM
The Showtime with some of the best dancers in the world will start at 9 PM

We begin with a weekend full of Salsa parties with Hot Salsa Weekend, the largest Salsa and Bachata festival in Sweden will be celebrating its twentieth edition from November 4th to November 6th.

This festival will bring together dancers from the US, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Stockholm. It will also feature inspiring workshops in Salsa L.A Style, Salsa On2, Salsa Cubana, and Bachata, impressive shows, and nightly parties accompanied by seven international and national DJs.

The workshops will take place on Friday from 4:30 PM at SSD Studio (Adolf Fredriks Kyrkogata 13, Stockholm) while on Saturday (11 AM) and Sunday (11 AM) they will take place in the beautiful building located in the heart of Stockholm Norra Latin (Drottninggatan 71b).

The themed parties (White Gala Party, Glitter & Glamor Gala Party, and Farewell Party) will take place from 10 PM to 5 AM on three dance floors (Salsa, Salsa Cubana & Bachata) at the Norra Latin a short distance from the central station Stockholm. Tickets for the three days of learning and fun are worth 2000 SEK. So get ready to be a part of Sweden’s biggest weekend party, Hot Salsa Weekend 2022. https://hotsalsaweekend.com/

Max Alton (Drums/Timbal), Raciel Garcés (Vocals), Rapson Espinosa (Vocals), Jonás Pomo (Piano), Homero Álvarez (Guitar), Aleks Brdarski (Bass), Rickard Valdés (Congas), Rickard Lindgren (Trumpet), Nikolas Viisanen (Trombone)

We continue with the Cuban band La Liga Habanera. This group formed 15 years ago in Havana (Cuba) has toured Europe and mainly has infected every corner of Sweden with its music. Its melody lies in a mixture of modern Cuban Timba with elements of traditional Son, Salsa, Soul, and Funk. The voices create a nuance that adorns the brass section that, together with the bass and the piano, recreates the Son montuno. The Havana League will be presented at the emblematic Fasching Club https://www.fasching.se (Kungsgatan 63, 111 22 Stockholm) on Friday, November 11th at 9 PM, and tickets are now available for 260 SEK (standing places). The age limit is 18 years.

The beginners’ course in Salsa starts at 4:30 PM
The beginners’ course in Salsa starts at 4:30 PM

We end with the free dance party with Swing, Salsa, and Tango at the Merjeriet cultural center https://g.page/Mejeriet (Stora Södergatan 64, 222 23 Lund). This great event on Sunday, November 27th will now be free and open to all those over 13 years. The dance rhythms will range from an intense Salsa set through Lindy Hop (Swing) to Tango with surprises on stage and on the dance floor with three different DJs.

The evening will begin with workshops for each rhythm and three rounds of courses so you can try the three dance styles and choose the one you prefer. The party will be from 5:30 PM until 7 PM while the courses for beginners will be gradually every hour starting at 2:30 PM.

The Dance Party with Swing, Salsa, and Tango is organized in collaboration with the extensive program of new and recurring events in the center of Lund known as vinterlund https://vinterlund.se/

The main objective of this vast program is to fill the inhabitants of this city in the province of Scania with joy through cultural life during the dark winter months.

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.